The Buckeyes have yet to fire on all cylinders in the NCAA tournament. Friday night they will play the Tennessee Volunteers in the sweet sixteen. The last time these two teams met - it was in the sweet sixteen in 2007. Ohio State narrowly pulled out a 85-84 victory when Mike Conley hit a free-throw with 6 seconds remaining in the game - erasing the final piece of a 17 point halftime deficit. That was the second amazing comeback in-a-row for the Buckeyes as they rallied from a 9 point deficit with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game against Xavier 5 days earlier.

The following season, after a freshman exodus(Cook, Conley, Oden), the Buckeyes looked to be rebuilding. They were left out of the 'Big Dance' in 2008 despite their 20 win regular season. Matta and his Buckeyes didn't quit however, and played inspired basketball to win the NIT. In 2009 Ohio State fell 74-72 to Siena, and went packing after just one game.

Last night the Buckeyes polished off their share of the BigTen regular season title. John Diebler led Ohio State(24-7) with 21 points. The all-time scorer in OHSAA history went 7 of 14 from 3 point range to lead the Bucks to a comfortable victory over the Illini. Illinois fell to 10-7 in the league, and 18-12 overall. They'll need a strong showing in the BigTen tournament to make the Big Dance. A couple of wins, putting them at 20, would likely edge them in with their history and winning record in BigTen play. 1 and done would leave them on the outside looking in at teams with similiar resume's - like Florida, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech.

The one thing that was not in question last night... This years 'player of the year'. When a bad game is 16 points, 12 boards, and 5 assists you know you're the favorite. Ohio State is 24-4 when Evan Turner starts. Turner is averaging 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1 block per game. He recorded the 2nd and 3rd triple doubles in Ohio State history, and is a threat for a triple double every time he takes the court. Double doubles are an afterthought. Turner had 14 of those.